Charles is not a role model
"Regional newspapers are far too small to survive," says Espace Media, and is moving to the Tagi. Other publishers disagree.
Presse Regional newspapers are far too small to survive, says Espace Media and joins Tagi. Other publishers take a different view. The analysis by Charles von Graffenried, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Espace Media Groupe, is clear and gloomy: subscription newspapers worldwide are experiencing shrinking circulations and readership figures and thus decreasing advertising revenues. The Berner Zeitung is no exception. So far, Espace Media has been able to successfully replace the outgoing print advertising with investments in local radio stations, local TV, the Sunday press and 20 Minuten. "However, the enormous development in the online sector and in new e-media will exceed our possibilities in the future. These areas are risky and require major investments," said von Graffenried. That is why the sale of his company to Tamedia was a necessity, because only the merger with a strong partner would open up new perspectives. His delegate Albert P. Stäheli went one better: "Sooner or later, the large regional newspapers will face drastic profitability problems. The next downturn will determine the timing," he warned his (still) independent regional publishing colleagues.
They have not missed the hint from Bern, but they don't seem too impressed. "It's true that we need to do more in the online sector," says Jörg Salzmann, Publishing Manager at Mengis Druck und Verlag (Walliser Bote), for example. "But that doesn't mean everyone has to merge." "Of course we publishers slept through the Internet," says Norbert Neininger, publisher of Schaffhauser Nachrichten. Nevertheless, he is also critical of the pursuit of sheer size: "History shows that good ideas rarely originate in large corporations." E-Bay, Google and YouTube were developed by a few bright minds who understood the new medium. Matthias Hagemann, publisher of Basler Zeitung, can also understand the Bernese argument: "The free armada really is a challenge to be taken seriously," he says. However, he considers the reason for the sale of Espace Media to be a "pretext". "It was about succession planning and money," he says, quoting Goethe's Faust: "Everything hangs on gold, everything pushes towards gold." Peter Wanner in Aargau sounds a similar note (see interview on page 17). And even publisher president and Südostschweiz publisher Hanspeter Lebrument states: "Espace Media was not sold out of necessity. The shrewd Bernese simply seized the opportunity to achieve a high price and additional influence."
But why isn't Lebrument just as clever? He has a different life plan, he answers. "I have children and want to hand over a publishing house to them, not primarily money," he says. Of course he wants to leave behind a healthy publishing house. But how do Lebrument and the other regional publishers intend to overcome the challenges mentioned above? They all agree on one point: none of them want to throw themselves at a big player - be it Tamedia or NZZ. However, the specific strategies are different. For Hanspeter Lebrument, one thing is clear: "Every region needs someone to get the news, including Südostschweiz." And he adds confidently: "I therefore believe that Südostschweiz will exist longer than Google."
Jörg Salzmann from the Walliser Bote is also convinced: "Our strength lies in local information. We have to develop this ourselves, no one from outside can help." However, he has already drawn inspiration from outside, from Gossweiler Media in the Bernese Oberland. Salzmann: "Even if I can't implement everything immediately, Urs Gossweiler's basic idea is still right: we have to observe how media use develops - and adapt."
Matthias Hagemann is also focusing on his region, Northwestern Switzerland. However, he points to the millions invested by Novartis in its new campus, which will create hundreds of new jobs in Basel. "The purchasing power here will increase enormously. It would have to be a devil's bargain if it didn't work out for us too," says Hagemann. In addition, his media company remains open to win-win deals "with anyone who is friendly to us". As before, this could be Tamedia, but he is not turning his back on NZZ either.
In view of the now overpowering Tamedia, is an arrangement with AZ publisher Peter Wanner also imminent? "No," says Hagemann emphatically. "Peter Wanner started the row - and that's that."
Norbert Neininger in Schaffhausen is tackling the future in a completely different way. He also works the local market. "We believe that even the classified ad markets are local and regional," he says. Nevertheless, he looks beyond the region in the online sector. "If people are looking for gold, we have to produce shovels," he says, pointing to the small software developer Onlineconsulting AG in Wil (SG), which his media company co-founded. It does not operate any platforms itself, but writes software for clients such as Goldbach Media, Swissinfo and others. "It contributes 5 to 10 percent of our total turnover," explains Neininger. "And whenever we need a platform, we can produce it ourselves."
Markus Knöpfli
"We feel strong"
The Mittelland Zeitung is surrounded by language barriers and opponents. Peter Wanner is not impressed.
WW: Charles von Graffenried and Polo Stäheli justify the sale of Espace Media with concerns about the future: free press and the Internet would pose profitability problems for regional newspapers. What do you think of this argument?
Peter Wanner: You can always have worries about the future. The real reason is the succession problem.
WW: The argument could apply even more to your AZ Medien, which is smaller than Espace Media. Are you also looking for a strong partner?
Peter Wanner: No, we want to remain independent. We feel strong enough.
WW: German-speaking Switzerland now has two camps: Tamedia and NZZ. Are you now leaning towards NZZ because of the partnership with PubliGroupe?
Peter Wanner: We don't want to be forced into one camp. We look for alliances on a case-by-case basis.
WW: Just two weeks ago, the Berner Zeitung (BZ) launched a large-circulation edition (GA) for its Solothurner Tagblatt newspaper. That means that you can soon expect a GA for the Tages-Anzeiger in the Limmat valley.
Peter Wanner: A large Tagi circulation in the Limmat Valley would be a declaration of war on the AZ Medien Group. Such an attack would violate existing agreements. If it came anyway, we would not stand idly by.
WW: In view of this threat, wouldn't it be better to finally come to terms with Basler Zeitung Medien?
Peter Wanner: Of course we would be interested in forms of cooperation with the Basler Zeitung. At the moment, however, the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung is an obstacle to talks.
WW: The Bieler Tagblatt, which previously cooperated with the BZ, could become uncomfortable in view of the size of Tamedia. Is a cooperation with the Gassmann publishing house an option for you?
Peter Wanner: We have always said that we are open to further cooperation.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli by e-mail
They have not missed the hint from Bern, but they don't seem too impressed. "It's true that we need to do more in the online sector," says Jörg Salzmann, Publishing Manager at Mengis Druck und Verlag (Walliser Bote), for example. "But that doesn't mean everyone has to merge." "Of course we publishers slept through the Internet," says Norbert Neininger, publisher of Schaffhauser Nachrichten. Nevertheless, he is also critical of the pursuit of sheer size: "History shows that good ideas rarely originate in large corporations." E-Bay, Google and YouTube were developed by a few bright minds who understood the new medium. Matthias Hagemann, publisher of Basler Zeitung, can also understand the Bernese argument: "The free armada really is a challenge to be taken seriously," he says. However, he considers the reason for the sale of Espace Media to be a "pretext". "It was about succession planning and money," he says, quoting Goethe's Faust: "Everything hangs on gold, everything pushes towards gold." Peter Wanner in Aargau sounds a similar note (see interview on page 17). And even publisher president and Südostschweiz publisher Hanspeter Lebrument states: "Espace Media was not sold out of necessity. The shrewd Bernese simply seized the opportunity to achieve a high price and additional influence."
But why isn't Lebrument just as clever? He has a different life plan, he answers. "I have children and want to hand over a publishing house to them, not primarily money," he says. Of course he wants to leave behind a healthy publishing house. But how do Lebrument and the other regional publishers intend to overcome the challenges mentioned above? They all agree on one point: none of them want to throw themselves at a big player - be it Tamedia or NZZ. However, the specific strategies are different. For Hanspeter Lebrument, one thing is clear: "Every region needs someone to get the news, including Südostschweiz." And he adds confidently: "I therefore believe that Südostschweiz will exist longer than Google."
Jörg Salzmann from the Walliser Bote is also convinced: "Our strength lies in local information. We have to develop this ourselves, no one from outside can help." However, he has already drawn inspiration from outside, from Gossweiler Media in the Bernese Oberland. Salzmann: "Even if I can't implement everything immediately, Urs Gossweiler's basic idea is still right: we have to observe how media use develops - and adapt."
Matthias Hagemann is also focusing on his region, Northwestern Switzerland. However, he points to the millions invested by Novartis in its new campus, which will create hundreds of new jobs in Basel. "The purchasing power here will increase enormously. It would have to be a devil's bargain if it didn't work out for us too," says Hagemann. In addition, his media company remains open to win-win deals "with anyone who is friendly to us". As before, this could be Tamedia, but he is not turning his back on NZZ either.
In view of the now overpowering Tamedia, is an arrangement with AZ publisher Peter Wanner also imminent? "No," says Hagemann emphatically. "Peter Wanner started the row - and that's that."
Norbert Neininger in Schaffhausen is tackling the future in a completely different way. He also works the local market. "We believe that even the classified ad markets are local and regional," he says. Nevertheless, he looks beyond the region in the online sector. "If people are looking for gold, we have to produce shovels," he says, pointing to the small software developer Onlineconsulting AG in Wil (SG), which his media company co-founded. It does not operate any platforms itself, but writes software for clients such as Goldbach Media, Swissinfo and others. "It contributes 5 to 10 percent of our total turnover," explains Neininger. "And whenever we need a platform, we can produce it ourselves."
Markus Knöpfli
"We feel strong"
The Mittelland Zeitung is surrounded by language barriers and opponents. Peter Wanner is not impressed.
WW: Charles von Graffenried and Polo Stäheli justify the sale of Espace Media with concerns about the future: free press and the Internet would pose profitability problems for regional newspapers. What do you think of this argument?
Peter Wanner: You can always have worries about the future. The real reason is the succession problem.
WW: The argument could apply even more to your AZ Medien, which is smaller than Espace Media. Are you also looking for a strong partner?
Peter Wanner: No, we want to remain independent. We feel strong enough.
WW: German-speaking Switzerland now has two camps: Tamedia and NZZ. Are you now leaning towards NZZ because of the partnership with PubliGroupe?
Peter Wanner: We don't want to be forced into one camp. We look for alliances on a case-by-case basis.
WW: Just two weeks ago, the Berner Zeitung (BZ) launched a large-circulation edition (GA) for its Solothurner Tagblatt newspaper. That means that you can soon expect a GA for the Tages-Anzeiger in the Limmat valley.
Peter Wanner: A large Tagi circulation in the Limmat Valley would be a declaration of war on the AZ Medien Group. Such an attack would violate existing agreements. If it came anyway, we would not stand idly by.
WW: In view of this threat, wouldn't it be better to finally come to terms with Basler Zeitung Medien?
Peter Wanner: Of course we would be interested in forms of cooperation with the Basler Zeitung. At the moment, however, the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung is an obstacle to talks.
WW: The Bieler Tagblatt, which previously cooperated with the BZ, could become uncomfortable in view of the size of Tamedia. Is a cooperation with the Gassmann publishing house an option for you?
Peter Wanner: We have always said that we are open to further cooperation.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli by e-mail
